Stan's Your Ham!
by TorahamuKun
Summary: Chapter 4 is up! R&R!
1. Morning, Stan!

Disclaimer- I don't own Hamtaro or any related material.

Stan's Your Ham!

Chapter 1- Morning, Stan!

Stan swaggered over to the clubhouse, rhythmically shaking his maracas, feeling especially confident. He didn't know why he felt like this…maybe it was because of what happened this morning.

*Flashback* "Hey, good morning, Stan! How's my little buddy today?" Stan yawned and vacantly looked up at Noel, still slipping back into reality from his dreamy haze.

Suddenly, Stan snapped into consciousness and winked at Noel while giving him a cocky grin.

"Yeah! You know why I'm all hyped up today, Stan?" Stan looked at Noel expectantly. "Because today is Hillary's birthday, and I'm finally gonna telling her just how I feel," Noel exclaimed as he punched the air in excitement. _Oh…well, like, good luck, man. _Stan almost laughed as he thought those words. Noel was a nice guy, but he didn't know much about girls.

With that said Noel petted Stan, fed him, and practically skipped out the door as he shouted back, "See ya, Stan!" Stan just hoped that he would actually _tell_ her this time. _I guess I should, like, get going too_, Stan thought as he grabbed his maracas and pried open his cage door. Noel's room was on the second floor, but that wasn't a problem for Stan. He always kept his hamster-sized skateboard, which Noel gave him as a birthday present a few years ago, on the windowsill, which he used to skate off the sill, down the roof and into the soft grass below. *End of Flashback*

_Man, Noel sure can get a little crazy when it comes to Hillary_, Stan thought silently as he approached the clubhouse entrance in the large tree. He followed the path down the dimly lit tunnel and reached the clubhouse door. He opened it and was not at all surprised at what he saw.

"How can you possibly think that Pashmina prefers you to me?"

"She likes me best on account of…uh…my here great sense of humor!"

"What humor? Howdy, your jokes aren't the least bit amusing. In fact, everyone would be grateful if you simply kept your big mouth shut!"

"What in tar-nation…like heck I'd listen to you, four-eyes! My jokes ain't bad; you just got no sense of humor!"

"Why I never…!"

"Humph!" Howdy and Dexter turned away from each other abruptly and crossed their arms in disgust.

Stan decided to announce his presence. "Yo ham-hams! What's up?" He shouted while shaking his maracas. The others greeted him in a slightly discordant unison.

"Hey Stan," was their response. Everyone was there it seemed, except…Sandy! _I wonder where she is…oh yeah, didn't she, like, say that she was gonna be late today? Hmm…_ Stan wondered. He looked around, saw the other girls talking off to the side and decided to take a seat in an unusual spot today, between Hamtaro and Boss.

"Yo Red! What's good?" Hamtaro's face lit up and he told Stan about how they were all waiting for Sandy to show up so they would have enough hams to play soccer with two teams of seven.

"It's gonna be a lot of fun, Stan. But I wonder where Sandy is…" Hamtaro's voice trailed off as he stared into space. Boss spoke up.

"Well, come on hams, we can't just sit here all day! We can start the game without Sandy, and when she shows up, she can join in."

"Well, I suppose that could work, but…" Maxwell sighed.

"Yeah?" Oxnard questioned as he munched on a sunflower seed.

"Well, I really wanted to try out those new goals I made…" Panda added.

"Aw come on guys! Can we please play now?" Cappy seemed impatient.

"Oh, alright." Maxwell wasn't too fond of the idea, but it seemed he had little choice.

"Yay!" All the boys cheered and Stan smiled. The girls came over to see what all the commotion was about.

"Hey, guys! So what are we gonna do?" Pashmina questioned, smiling at Penelope, who jumped around playfully.

Boss announced, "We know Sandy was supposed to be late today, but we've decided to go play soccer and when she comes, she can join us."

"Well, I don't know…" Bijou said. "Isn't that a little rude?"

Boss blushed, not wanting to upset Bijou. "On second thought, it does seem kinda mean not to wait for her." The others reluctantly agreed, although once they began talking again they didn't seem to mind as much.

But just when everyone least expected it, the door opened and a familiar ham-ham walked through, carrying some unusual items…

Let me know what you think of the first chapter!


	2. Stan's in Trouble

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing chapter 1! Here's chapter 2!

Disclaimer- I don't own Hamtaro or any related material.

Stan's Your Ham!

Chapter 2- Stan's in Trouble

Everyone gasped as they stared at what looked like a walking mountain of colored paper accompanied by a medley of office supplies. Behind the massive ball of items was Sandy. She tried not to draw too much attention to herself as she shuffled into the clubhouse and dropped the supplies on a table in the corner of the room, but everyone was growing increasingly curious.

_What the heke is all that stuff for? _Stan pondered. Suddenly, Pashmina and Bijou simultaneously recalled that Sandy needed all these supplies for a "project," and naturally, they wanted to keep the reason for Sandy having all these items a secret. They bolted over to Sandy as she gathered her things, and Pashmina shouted, "So uh…why don't you guys start that game?"

Bijou chimed in, "Yes, umm…we need to help Sandy with…something."

Sandy would've done this project at home or somewhere else, but she decided it would've been a better idea to have the girls help her out. She really needed help anyway because she needed to have the project done by tomorrow so she could give it to…

"Yo sis! What's up?" Stan danced around the girls and managed to reach Sandy. She looked almost panicked, because she wasn't expecting all this attention. She seemed almost exhausted and she stammered as she spoke.

"Hey, Stan…I'm…uh…like kinda busy, but I'll join you guys later. Okay?" She managed a weak smile as she tried to pull herself from the spotlight.

"Well, like, alright." Stan knew that something was up. Sandy was never like this…except around…Maxwell! _I bet he has something to do with this._ Stan seemed satisfied with his conclusion and receded back into the crowd of ham-hams gathered around Pashmina and Bijou.

"Everyone, PLEASE! You guys really should go play now, because we need to help Sandy with something important," Pashmina shouted at the rowdy crowd of ham-hams.

"Ookwee! Ookwee! Ookwee!" Penelope added in agreement with Pashmina.

Boss wanted answers. "We're not going anywhere until you tell us what's going on."

"It is a project that Sandy is working on, and she needs help finishing it, so if you could all please stay out until we're done…" Bijou said as she and Pashmina pushed the crowd of boys out the clubhouse door.

"Wait, you can't kick me out! I live here!" Boss shouted

"We just need the clubhouse for a little while, Boss. Please?" Pashmina said.

Boss looked at Bijou, who shared the same pleading face as Pashmina. He couldn't let Bijou down. "Well…okay…" Boss gave in and Bijou smiled, pleased with his decision.

"Merci, Boss." Bijou added, making Boss blush. She closed the door, finally free of the boys. They all stood outside, bewildered. Boss knew they really had no choice but to play outside.

"Come on ham-hams. We don't need the girls to play soccer." Boss stated, although he preferred to be with Bijou. With that said, all the boys reluctantly trotted into a small field under a large oak tree, which they used as a soccer field. Panda's goals were already set up, and he felt proud of his accomplishment. The ham-hams wanted to form two equal teams, but there were nine of them there. Stan saw this as an opportunity to go see just what was going on with the girls.

"Oh, no worries guys. You can, like, play without me. I, like, forgot my skateboard, so I'm gonna go get it and I'll meet you back here." Everyone was grateful that Stan opted not to play, because now the teams were even and they could start the game.

Just after everyone got into their positions, Stan dashed into a nearby bush, hoping that everyone thought that he went to get his skateboard. _Haha! Now I'm gonna, like, find out just what they're up to!_

Stan checked to make sure that no one was following him, and then he sprinted toward the clubhouse. Once he entered the tunnel, he slowed his pace almost to a stop. He figured it would probably be a better idea to be quiet than make a lot of noise and risk the girls discovering his presence. Only a few steps away from the door, Stan sneaked right up to it and peered through the window. Unfortunately, it didn't give him much of a view of the girls, who were seated at the corner table that Sandy first dropped her supplies on.

Stan had to take a risk here. The suspense was killing him. He twisted the doorknob ever so carefully and slowly, hoping he wouldn't make a sound. It worked. Once he had the knob twisted as far as it could go, he gently pushed on the door. Luckily, it didn't make a sound, and Stan pushed just enough to squeeze his head into the room so he could see the girls.

Just then, Penelope saw a fuzzy object appear in the doorway. She had no clue it was Stan, and in fact she didn't know what it was. Thinking it was some kind of malicious being coming to hurt her friends, Penelope squealed.

"Ookwee! Ookwee! OOKWEE!" The girls jumped.

"What is it Penelope?" Pashmina was startled by Penelope's cry. Stan went pale. _No way man…NO WAY!_ Penelope pointed at the door and right before they looked, Stan pulled his head out of the doorway.

But he was paralyzed with fear and could only take a few steps back before Sandy opened the door and saw her twin.

"STAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" Sandy demanded. Stan froze.


	3. The Underground Caper

Thanks for all the reviews you guys! In this chapter, you'll figure out why I tagged it as a "romance" story!

Disclaimer- I don't own Hamtaro or any related material.

Stan's Your Ham!

Chapter 3- The Underground Caper

Stan could only manage a stifled gasp, as his sister seemed to overshadow him. He couldn't even describe the rage emanating from Sandy's face. It was as if he, in his petrified state, were shrinking while Sandy was growing, looming over him.

"I…uh…" He stammered.

"Stan! I told you to stay away from here while we're working on my project for Ma…" She caught herself, but it was too late.

Stan immediately snapped back into reality and smirked, knowing he now had control of the conversation. "So, sis, a little present for your boyfriend?"

Sandy's face practically lit up. She couldn't believe she'd let that slip out. Now _she_ was speechless.

"Well," Stan snickered, "I guess since you guys don't want me here, I'll head back to the game and tell Maxwell about your little 'surprise.'" He teased her, taking a small step back, toward the tunnel entrance.

"N-no! Stan! Please don't tell him! I want this to be a surprise for his birthday…" Her voice trailed off, fearing she had given too much information, but then realized it didn't matter now that Stan knew.

He couldn't help but feel compassion for her, because after all, they were still brother and sister. "Ok, ok, fine…I won't tell him."

Sandy's eyes sparkled as she ran up to Stan and hugged him. "Aw, thanks bro! You know how much this means to me."

"Aww…" Bijou and Pashmina cooed as Penelope giggled.

"Yeah, yeah, chill, sis." He almost pushed her away, trying to act "tough" as he thought he should. Secretly though, he did care about Sandy, although he would never admit it to anyone.

Sandy smiled. "Okay, so now that you, like, know, do you think you could, like…help us out?"

Stan wasn't expecting that. A bewildered expression spread across his face as he tried to come up with a response. "Yeah, sure, I guess…"

Pashmina chimed in, "Well, we're almost done with the project, so maybe you could keep watch and make sure no one comes in until we're done." She had been staring at him the entire time, but he hadn't noticed.

Stan dashed to Pashmina's side and winked, "Anything for you, baby."

Pashmina blushed at Stan's remarks. _He's so cute…_

"Hey! I said you could help us out, not flirt with my friends!" Sandy seemed to be getting back to her usual self.

"Always gotta ruin the fun, don'tcha sis…" Stan smiled and Pashmina almost leaned her head on him, but Sandy pulled him away.

She still had a dreamy look in her eyes, and Bijou noticed. "Pashmina? Are you okay?"

Pashmina almost jumped, still red-faced. "Yeah…I'm fine…"

Bijou gasped and a smile spread across her face as she whispered, "Aww Pashmina! You like Stan, don't you!"

Pashmina covered her face with her paws, trying to hide the inevitable blush that overtook her face. "…Yeah…" she whispered back. It wasn't her fault…she had to tell somebody after all this time.

Sandy spoke up. "Come on, girls. We gotta finish the project. Stan, if anyone shows up, you, like, have to tell us, okay?"

"No problem, sis." He winked at Pashmina, she blushed, and Bijou practically dragged her back inside the clubhouse. Penelope and Sandy soon followed, leaving Stan alone outside a closed door.

"How did I get myself into this…?" Stan pondered. He sat down a few feet from the door, took out his maracas and shook them quietly to entertain himself while humming a favorite song of his.

* * *

After about a half-hour of Stan's absence, Hamtaro began to get worried. He stopped the game and called the ham-hams together. "Guys, Stan still isn't back…maybe we should go look for him."

Boss spoke. "Huh, I didn't even notice he was gone…" Everyone sweat dropped. "Well, uh, okay, we'll start a search. Hamtaro, Oxnard, and I will go check out the park."

"Boss, can I come too?" Cappy said, his green cap nearly covering his face.

"Sure." Boss responded.

"I can go investigate the streets." Dexter declared.

Howdy added, "Yeah, well, I guess I'll go check out that there pond."

"Alright…Maxwell, where are you gonna look?" Boss questioned.

"Well, I suppose I could scrutinize the area by the large oak tree."

"Okay, then. Ham-hams move out!" Boss shouted as the others fled in their separate directions, leaving Maxwell there alone. _That's peculiar…where could he have gone?_ Maxwell walked toward the tree when he remembered, _wasn't Sandy working on a project for something? What could it be? _The thought of her excited him. As he neared the clubhouse entrance, he thought about how she was always so cheerful, or at least tried to be, especially when she was around him. The way she twirled her ribbon, it made him feel, as though that was himself, twirling and whirling for her.

He had to find out just what she was planning.

* * *

Inside the clubhouse, behind a closed door, the girls sat and added the final touches to a huge birthday card for Maxwell. It was neat and colorful, and inside it read: "Happy Birthday Maxwell!!! Love, Sandy " Underneath the writing was a crude drawing that depicted herself and Maxwell sitting under a tree, holding hands and smiling. The sketch didn't show much artistic ability, but art wasn't really Sandy's forte, and besides, she knew that he would love it no matter what it looked like. After finishing the card itself, Sandy slipped into a large snow-white envelope and tied it shut with a red ribbon. On the front of the envelope, Sandy carefully wrote "Maxwell" in the neatest cursive she could manage.

"There! Now all I have to do is figure out a way to give it to him without the other ham-hams noticing." Sandy stated.

"It is beautiful." Bijou complimented.

"Yeah, he's gonna love it!" Pashmina added.

"Ookwee!" Penelope agreed.

* * *

"Okay, this is getting pretty lame." Stan complained. He'd been sitting outside the door for only a few minutes, but to him it felt like an eternity. "She has to be done by now." With his words assuring him that keeping watch was no longer necessary, he entered through the door, unaware of who was only a few paces behind him.

"You done, sis?" Stan asked.

"Yeah, we're done, but where should I hide…" A familiar tall ham-ham appeared in the doorway and spoke.

"Hide what?"


	4. New Beginnings

Sorry about the ridiculously long wait…hope this makes up for it!

Disclaimer- I don't own Hamtaro or any related material.

Stan's Your Ham!

Chapter 4- New Beginnings

Stan had walked a few paces into the clubhouse when he saw that all the girls' mouths were agape and Sandy had gone pale.

"Alright girls, I know I'm, like, awesome and everything…but you don't have to stare."

Sandy ignored Stan because she didn't know what to make of this. On one hand, she was mortified to see Maxwell appear in the doorway before she had the chance to hide the card, but on the other hand, she couldn't stop staring into his eyes. It was as if she felt a strange mix of terror and wonder. Just then, Bijou and Pashmina jumped into action, literally. The two hams leaped in front of Sandy in a last-second attempt to distract Maxwell.

"Oh, Maxwell! What a…um…pleasant surprise…" Bijou managed a weak smile.

"Hey you guys…what's going on here…? And what is that peculiar object that you are trying to hide, Sandy?"

She knew there was no point in trying to conceal it any longer. Besides, he knew now, so what was the sense in keeping his own gift from him? Somewhat reluctantly, while feeling a fiery warmth flood her face, she stepped in front of the two girls with the letter grasped in her paw.

"Hey Maxwell...I…wasn't, like, expecting you back so soon…"

Maxwell was quite confused himself in the midst of this situation. This kind of secrecy wasn't at all like Sandy. He hadn't realized until now, but she had actually been acting like this for the past few days now…why hadn't he noticed it before?

"Well, um, what do you have there, Sandy?"

Sandy really had no choice but to give him the letter now. However, she realized that she hadn't planned just how she was going to give him the letter, and since none of the other boys (except Stan) were around, the situation seemed perfect. A smile suddenly spread across her face, but she was still a little nervous.

"It's a…present for you…" Sandy squeaked. Her voice trailed off after a few words and Maxwell couldn't make out just what she had said. Stan let out a chuckle, and Sandy suddenly turned and glared at him. His smile quickly faded to a straight face.

"What is it?" Maxwell had grown quite curious, and he really wanted to know what was inside that envelope.

"It's…a present I made for you, Maxwell…happy birthday." She stared into his deep brown eyes again. This time, he stared right back into her bright emerald eyes. Sandy wished this would never end, just the two of them, transfixed, together. She couldn't even begin to explain how he had captured her heart, but she loved him. She handed him the letter, and he broke the stare by looking at it, seeing his name beautifully written in blue ink on the envelope. Maxwell blushed as red as Sandy.

Bijou and Pashmina softly cooed, "Awww…" Penelope chimed in with a quiet "ookwee."

_I never expected this! It seems I've underestimated Sandy yet again…_ Maxwell thought as he held the letter and gently opened it. He pulled the scarlet card out of the envelope, and was taken aback by its beauty. On the front cover were the words "Happy Birthday!" written in bold blue marker. He opened the card and almost chuckled, not because he was mocking it, but because it was so cute. There was a simple "happy birthday Maxwell" written and underneath that, a drawing of him and sandy holding paws and smiling. But the one thing that excited Maxwell the most was that the card was signed _Love, Sandy_. And not only that, but she went as far as drawing a little heart next to her name. He struggled to look back at Sandy, but when he did, he saw that she was smiling that beautiful smile she always gave him. He tried as best he could to speak, but all he could manage was a hardly intelligible whisper.

"Sandy…thank you…this…means a lot to me." And then Maxwell did something that Sandy could've only dreamed about until now. He placed the card on the ground, walked up to Sandy, and embraced her. Sandy was a little bewildered by this, but then she hugged him back. This was all she ever wanted- just to be with Maxwell. Maxwell, although he had never told anyone, felt the same feelings for Sandy that she had for him. He just needed to find the right moment to tell her…

Wanting to take advantage of the romantic atmosphere, Stan moved right next to Pashmina and nudged her to get her attention. She looked at him, blushed and then he winked and flashed a cocky smile. Stan didn't know what it was…but there was something about Pashmina…he didn't feel the same way around her as he did the other girls. _She's so, like…awesome…_he thought while glancing at her. Pashmina turned once again, this time to meet Stan's gaze head-on. Pashmina's face practically lit up after seeing Stan. _Oh my gosh…he's looking right at me…he's so cute…_ She managed a smile, and noticed that Stan was blushing too. Suddenly, Stan grabbed her paws, leaned in and quickly kissed her on the cheek. Pashmina giggled and held Stan's paws as she gazed deep into his emerald eyes.

"Oookweeeeee…" Penelope giggled and she made a kissing face at Pashmina.

"Stop it, Penelope!" Pashmina scolded her quietly, and then looked around to see if anyone noticed. Luckily, no one did. She let out an inaudible sigh of relief, just before Stan said…

"Hey gorgeous, where you been all my life?" Pashmina giggled at Stan's playful words. She knew he wasn't just flirting with her. He had to have feelings for her. She just knew it.

By this time, Stan, Pashmina and Penelope had drifted a fair distance away from the others. Bijou noticed this, and she went over to them, partially because she was curious, and partially because she wanted to give Sandy and Maxwell time alone.

Sandy and Maxwell stood facing each other as they held paws. Maxwell finally broke the silence.

"Sandy, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now…"

"Yes, Maxwell?" Sandy gazed deep into his eyes, and saw that he was getting a little anxious. Then again, she was getting a little tense herself.

"I…love you, Sandy…"

"Oh, Maxwell…that's, like, so totally cool…'cause I feel the same way about you…"

The two smiled at each other, and then kissed. After all this time, the two had finally become one, united in an undying love.

* * *

Back at the other corner of the clubhouse, Bijou walked up to Pashmina and nudged her. She was startled because she was still gazing at Stan.

"Ah! Oh, hey Bijou!" She giggled nervously, expecting her friend to interrogate her.

Stan decided to go see what his sister was up to. "See ya later, babe." He winked at her as he walked towards Maxwell and Sandy.

"Aww…" Pashmina cooed as she watched Stan walk away. Bijou suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

"So…what happened? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" Bijou almost jumped.

"Oh…nothing…except he kissed me!" She whispered into her friend's ear.

Bijou almost exploded with excitement. "Oh my gosh! Really?"

"Yup! He's so awesome…" Pashmina seemed to fall into a dreamlike state. Bijou smiled.

* * *

Sandy and Maxwell pulled away from their kiss just in time to see Stan approaching. He had seen the entire thing.

"So…when's the wedding?" Stan laughed at his own joke, and Maxwell and Sandy blushed. But she knew how to handle her brother. She shot a glare at him that could have burned through steel. He stopped laughing, but tried to retaliate.

"Aw, come on, sis! Nothing wrong with a little fun! Am I right?" he grabbed his maracas and shook them fervently. Sandy and Maxwell looked at each other and started laughing.

"I guess not, bro. Just be careful 'cause, like, you don't know who you're, like, messing with!" With that said, Sandy lunged at her brother and the two started wrestling.

"Hahaha…oh brother…" Maxwell sighed as Bijou, Pashmina and Penelope approached.

"What in the world are they doing?" Bijou questioned.

"I have no idea. Must be a sibling thing." Maxwell and the others laughed.

Today had turned out to be better than any of them could've imagined.

* * *

What do you think? Should I continue it? Let me know and review the story! =]


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